


In the Dark

by Savageseraph



Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Kissing, Subterfuge, Templars (Dragon Age), Tranquil Mages
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28680741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Savageseraph/pseuds/Savageseraph
Summary: Templars are hunting blood mages, Hawke knows this, but she also knows that for many of them, any mage would do.
Relationships: Female Hawke/Cullen Rutherford
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	In the Dark

Hawke runs through the dark streets of Kirkwall, the need to stay ahead of the Templars on the hunt for blood mages throbbing in her like a second heartbeat. The pounding of their boots on the stone walkways and the clashing of armor seem to draw closer with each stride. She feels a pang of guilt that she’s outpacing some of the other mages she freed from the Templar ambush, but she doesn’t slow down. She can’t. Her dread drives her forward. 

_Keep running. Don’t look back. Keep running. Don’t look back._

Her lips form the words as she sprints into a square and veers right, toward shops long since shuttered for the evening and toward an alley with a manhole that will let her slip into Darktown. Two other mages bolt into the open, the need to run overriding all else. It’s a mistake, one that will leave them in the open and vulnerable to their pursuers. Hawke prays their fear grants them a surge of speed. It’s all she can do to help them now.

When a hand grabs her cloak, Hawke is nearly pulled off her feet, and she can’t quite stifle a cry as she’s yanked into a narrow, shadowed alley between two shops. The Templars are hunting blood mages, she knows this, but she also knows that for many of them, any mage would do. She calls her own power and only just manages to keep from unleashing lightning into Cullen.

“Maker’s Breath, what are you doing?” Cullen’s voice is tight with anger as he presses her against the wall, shielding her from the street with his body. “It’s not safe for you here. Not tonight.”

“And why is not safe?” Her words come out in an angry hiss. “Because of men like you.” Her words kindle a flare of anger in his eyes. She knows he’s not like the others. “Cullen…”

He cuts her off with a sharp gesture and glances over his shoulder. His body blocks her view of the square, but she hears the sound of armored troops, of angry shouts, of steel meeting flesh, of a scream cut off sharply, of wet heaving sounds that get progressively quieter before they stop. 

Hawke bites down on her lip hard enough to taste blood as tremors run through her. _They would have cut me down. That could have been me._ Cullen brushes his fingers over her cheek, his gentle touch at odds with the steel in his eyes at the broken sobs for the person now past the Templars’ ability to harm.

When a string of frantic pleas rise to a scream of terror, Cullen wrenches her staff from her grip and tosses it deep into the shadows of the alley. Hawke tries to lunge after it, but Cullen’s arms tighten around her and pull her against his body. His Templar armor is as cold and unforgiving as his embrace as she tries again to break free. “ _Don’t._ ” 

Hawke pushes hard against Cullen’s chest. “ _Let me go._ ” Despite the wave of betrayal she feels, she keeps her voice soft enough not to shatter the silence.

“That’s better, love, isn’t it?”

They both tense at the question, and Cullen shakes his head when she tries to push him and the horror they are trapped in away.

“Demons might not want you once you’ve gone Tranquil, but don’t worry, we will.”

Hawke shivers, and Cullen curls his fingers into her hair, tugging her closer to his body; and when she opens her mouth to protest, he kisses her. The kiss is awkward, noses bumping, teeth scraping against lips. Tears rage burn in Hawke’s eyes. A fucking Templar is kissing her while his brothers are killing and maiming her people. Laughter washes in from the square, followed by the sounds of booted feet getting closer. 

_Maker’s Breath, they’re coming._

__Her body tightens in fear and helpless rage. Cullen’s hand cups her cheek, covering most of the side of her face as his kiss grows sweeter, more assured. His lips are surprisingly soft, and his tongue is teasing and wicked._ _

__Her fingers grip his hair, nails biting into his scalp, as she prepares to break the kiss, but something in his eyes, something that hovers between a command and a frantic plea, makes her hesitate. His hand slips to the small of her back, tugging her hips against his as a flush colors his cheeks. Suddenly, Hawke _knows_. She knows what he’s doing._ _

__The Templars are looking for other mages who might be hiding, and she and Cullen have no way to avoid them. When she hears the Templars in the street stop near them, she moans and lets her fingers curl around the back of Cullen’s neck. As she clings tighter to him, she feels him relax against her._ _

__“Hey, it’s the Captain.”_ _

__“What’s he got there?”_ _

__“Captain, what’s up?”_ _

__A muddle of voices from street has Hawke cursing the fact her staff is out of reach. She wants to lash out at them so badly she’s sure Cullen can taste it on her. Even with him at her side, even if she could be certain he’d stand with her, they weren’t enough to face that many foes._ _

__One of the Templars bolder than his fellows laughs darkly and takes a few steps into the alley. “Have some to share with a brother, Captain?”_ _

__Cullen’s whole body tenses as he growls and raises his head just enough to look the other man in the eyes. “Be. Somewhere. Else.” When the man hesitates, he adds. “ _Now!_ ” He doesn’t wait for a response before he lowers his lips to hers again, kissing her with the desperate energy of a man who believes this to be the last he’ll ever savor._ _

__The men stammer apologies, and when Hawke glances toward the street, squinting between Cullen’s fingers, she sees them leaving with a vacant-eyed woman, the brand of the Tranquil fresh and livid on her forehead._ _

__The kiss goes on long after the night has grown still around them, mellowing from subterfuge to solace. Long enough that Hawke won’t ever forget how Cullen tastes, the prickle of his short hair against her fingertips, the way he smells not of steel and cold holy herbs but of sunlight and amber._ _

__When Cullen finally breaks the kiss, his body trembles against hers. “I’m sorry.” The words are so soft she has to strain to hear them. “I’m so sorry. I…. I…don’t know what to do. I don’t know what’s wrong in this city. With the Templars.” He rubs at his eyes, shakes his head. “I don’t know how to stop it.”_ _

__“I don’t either.” Hawke has tried talking to the Grand Cleric, appealing to her for guidance more times than she could count. She sighs, touches Cullen’s cheek. “I wish I did.” She isn’t sure which of them is more surprised when she leans in and kisses his cheek. “Thank you. For saving me.”_ _

__“You…” He runs shaking fingers through her hair. “You remind me of someone.” He chews at his lip. “Someone I knew back in Ferelden.” He clears his throat. “It was a long time ago.”_ _

__Hawke smiles softly. “And was she a mage too?” When Cullen looks away, rubs at the back of his neck, Hawke knows her words hit a mark she wasn’t aiming at. She touches Cullen’s cheek, drawing his gaze back to her. “For a Templar, you seem to have a fondness for mages.”_ _

__“I guess I do. For some.” Cullen’s remarkable eyes are haunted; his smile, sad. “I guess that makes me Thedas’s worst Templar.”_ _

__“I don’t know about that.” Hawke’s lips brush his, and he sighs against her mouth as his lips part for her. “I think it might make you her best.”_ _


End file.
